Increasingly, the threats facing global organizations are layered, complex, and require expertise spanning multiple disciplines. Financial and property crime and fraud have converged with cybercrime. Theft of intellectual property is no longer just an insider threat. Outside parties are infiltrating corporate networks and sometimes, those outside parties are acting on behalf of the intelligence agencies of adversary countries or hostile nations.
And if that’s not enough, public companies and organizations operating in regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare and life sciences, public accounting, aerospace and defense, must be aware of where the regulatory guardrails are located. They are trusted to ensure their people, processes and enabling technologies that comprise their compliance programs are well designed, operating effectively, and meet the government’s definition of “effective” (which may sound like a low bar, but it is not).
And then there’s the fact that from time to time, organizations must meet a crisis head on – imagine:
- A major financial crime or securities regulatory action has come to light.
- The executive team has been accused of bribing foreign government officials to win billions in government contracts.
- The company stands accused of faking clinical trials or safety inspections.
- A major bank has been revealed to have opened millions of bank accounts and credit cards without the consent of its customers.
- A major healthcare company executive is assassinated in the streets of NYC.
These and other categories of “bet the company” crises often require the deployment of many disciplines all at once including investigative, forensic accounting, electronic discovery, forensic data analysis and regulatory compliance. Even proven risk assessment and security consulting assistance – especially in the wake of the incident in NYC late last year. The range of threats is not on the decline.
Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Comprehensive Risk Assessments
Risk assessments serve as a crucial tool in identifying risks. By conducting comprehensive assessments, organizations can enhance the detection of susceptibility and exposure, tailor prevention strategies, meet compliance requirements, safeguard their reputation, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Investing time and resources in regular risk assessments is a proactive approach that enables organizations to stay one step ahead and protect their assets, stakeholders, and long-term sustainability.
By pooling our talents, White Collar Forensic (WCF) and IntegrityRisk are answering the call of clients who are increasingly asking us to provide them with interdisciplinary solutions in the face of emergent and complex situations. We listen to our clients and recognize that their needs are evolving, and we need to evolve along with them. Because the work that we perform isn’t a product or a commodity. It is about teaming, earning trust, formulating a strategy to meet a crisis head on and then executing.
This may sound daunting but the practitioners at IntegrityRisk and WCF spend their days helping their clients’ meet crises head on by assembling multi-disciplinary teams, often in multiple countries and then quarterback the entire project from inception to their successful conclusion. Our practitioners bring background, education, investigative tools, and real-world experience to spotlight warning signs with acquisition targets, vendors, employees, and processes. Former prosecutors, law enforcement officials, and experienced practitioners guide you through investigations, asset inquiries, cyber and other unanticipated issues.
The strategic partnership between White Collar Forensic and IntegrityRisk offers expanded talent, increased headcount, varied expertise, greater resources, and extended geographic reach. And maybe the most important attribute of this partnership – the trust that has been built over the course of decades of experience of our world-class practitioners.
We are excited to begin this next chapter for both organizations and to continue to partner with our clients to navigate these challenges that are on the horizon.
Jim McWeeney is the Chief Executive Officer of Integrity Risk International, a global risk management, due diligence, and security consulting firm.
Scott Moritz is the Founder of White Collar Forensic, an investigative, forensic accounting, and compliance consulting firm.